Secrets of the Job Hunt

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Those considering the PT jobs Arizona (http://rehabjob.abrazohealth.com) has to offer among their future career options may want to participate in some simulation training.

A recent study from the University of South Florida found that gynecological medical students who practice on a patient simulator score significantly higher on their final exams than students who only receive lectures.

Although this study is aimed solely at gynecological students, it proves that simulation training can have benefits for any medical student, including those interested in physical therapy.

The USF study is one of many that has examined the effects of obstetric simulation training on student confidence, comprehension, satisfaction, and comfort in performing common obstetric procedures. However, it's the first study to evaluate simulation effects on final examination scores.

"The simulation training engaged the students early on," Dr. Shelly Holmstrom, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at USF Health and lead author of the study, said in a statement. "As a result, they may have been more invested in the clerkship and absorbed the information more effectively and comprehensively. That may explain why these students scored higher on their oral and written examinations."

The study followed 113 students in the USF four-week maternal newborn clerkship. Some students were assigned to attend traditional lectures on delivering a baby, while others participated in a hands-on delivery simulation.

Students were asked to complete confidence assessment surveys before their assignments began and four weeks after training. The exam scores of the simulation and non-simulation groups were then compared.

The results found:

More than 52 percent of students in the simulation training felt confident enough to perform an independent or minimally-supervised delivery after training, compared to only 16 percent of students in the lecture group.

After performing three actual deliveries, there was no difference in confidence levels between the two groups.

Students in the simulation group scored higher on their oral and written exams.